MPO teachers, staff block Shahbagh with 3-point demand

Teachers and staff from MPO-listed non-government educational institutions have blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka, demanding implementation of their three-point charter of demands. Their representatives are currently holding a meeting with the Education Ministry at the Secretariat. The final decision will be made once the delegation returns, said leaders of the Nationalisation-Seeking Alliance of MPO-Listed Education Institutions.

Alliance member secretary Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi said that if their demands are not met and a government order is not issued by October 15, they will resume street protests and continue the movement, including long marches.

He added that teachers and staff will continue their work abstention until the government issues the order fulfilling their demands for a 20 percent (minimum Tk 3,000) house rent allowance, an increase of medical allowance to Tk 1,500, and raising the festival allowance for staff to 75 percent.

Alongside their street protests, classes in all MPO-listed private educational institutions across the country have remained suspended since October 13, paralysing academic activities at schools and colleges.

Around 2pm on Wednesday, teachers and staff began marching from the Central Shaheed Minar and blocked Shahbagh intersection, halting traffic movement in all surrounding roads.

Earlier on October 12 (Sunday), a scuffle broke out in front of the National Press Club when police tried to disperse protesting teachers, leading to the use of sound grenades and creating tension in the area. Later, at the leaders’ call, the teachers relocated to Shaheed Minar and announced a continuous protest programme.

Teachers spent both Sunday and Monday nights under the open sky at the Central Shaheed Minar—some sleeping on plastic sheets, others using banners as makeshift bedding.

Meanwhile, MPO teachers across the country reported to their institutions on Wednesday but refrained from taking classes, continuing their sit-in programmes on campuses, in staff lounges, and in office rooms.